as in to trigger
to cause to function
his obscene comment touched off a heated debate about the need for censorship on live broadcasts
Synonyms & Similar Words
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Example Sentences
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Recent Examples of touch off
The tariffs planned by President Donald Trump on Friday touched off a feverish bout of activity among trade partners as key details remained unclear and nations didn’t know the taxes their goods could face — keeping an element of surprise to an event long hyped by the U.S. leader.
—
Geoff Colvin, Fortune, 31 July 2025
The pyrotechnics facility, located at County Road 23 and County Road 86A in Esparto, exploded around 6 p.m. Tuesday and touched off a 78-acre fire.
—Jason Green, Mercury News, 3 July 2025
Blackburn's comments touched off speculation among gamblers.
—Scott Wartman, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
Those air attacks touched off lethal volleys between Iran and Israel.
—Robert Polner, New York Daily News, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for touch off
Geoff Colvin, Fortune, 31 July 2025
The pyrotechnics facility, located at County Road 23 and County Road 86A in Esparto, exploded around 6 p.m. Tuesday and touched off a 78-acre fire.
—Jason Green, Mercury News, 3 July 2025
Blackburn's comments touched off speculation among gamblers.
—Scott Wartman, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025
Those air attacks touched off lethal volleys between Iran and Israel.
—Robert Polner, New York Daily News, 23 June 2025
See All Example Sentences for touch off
Recent Examples of Synonyms for touch off
Verb
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Or a dormant service account suddenly becoming active might trigger a review.—
Craig Davies,
Forbes.com,
22 Aug. 2025
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Starvation can occur long before famine is declared Because all three thresholds must be met to trigger a famine designation, many people may be starving well before phase five is reached.—
Nurith Aizenman,
NPR,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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For now, Edwards-Helaire will wait for an injury or an unexpected roster move to clear the way for him to be activated to the 53-man active roster.—
Matt Wadleigh,
MSNBC Newsweek,
27 Aug. 2025
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Alvarez was activated on Tuesday after missing 100 games.—
Jim Bowden,
New York Times,
27 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The brawl has sparked a broader conversation about crime and safety in Cincinnati.—
Cameron Knight,
The Enquirer,
14 Aug. 2025
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Similar scenes played out last year when the Perseids' peak coincided with a powerful geomagnetic storm that sparked auroras over North America.—
Anthony Wood,
Space.com,
13 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Often, orders for high-end luxury cars are placed in advance, so thieves sit and wait until the right model drives into the parking lot and follow it to a spot.—
Phoebe Wall Howard,
USA Today,
30 Aug. 2025
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The Longhorns were driving for a tying touchdown late in the game but Jack Endries was stopped by Caleb Downs 1 yard short of a first down to end hopes of a comeback.—
Arkansas Online,
Arkansas Online,
30 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The rumble of the engines set off car alarms in the distance as ULA opened up its national security account for Vulcan, making only its third ever launch after flying two certification flights in 2024.—
Richard Tribou,
The Orlando Sentinel,
12 Aug. 2025
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That impulsive rescue set off a chain reaction that would change everything.—
Jordan Greene,
People.com,
12 Aug. 2025
Verb
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The upper stage Starship section is powered by six Raptor engines that will ultimately travel in orbit.—
Eric Lagatta,
USA Today,
23 Aug. 2025
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The company’s shares rose more than 3% on the Bloomberg report, which said Apple recently inquired of Google about the potential for the search giant to build a custom artificial intelligence model that would power a new Siri that could launch next year.—
Jennifer Elias,
CNBC,
22 Aug. 2025
Verb
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Even 6 inches of swiftly moving water can forcefully knock you off your feet.—
CA Weather Bot,
Sacbee.com,
26 Aug. 2025
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Subsequent release dates have been moved forward to August for the past seven years.—
Jennifer Borresen,
USA Today,
26 Aug. 2025
Cite this Entry
“Touch off.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/touch%20off. Accessed 3 Sep. 2025.
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